Is there a sport more worldly than soccer? It’s a pastime that unites people across the globe.

In Edmonton, it’s a game that has united a family and a community.

Entering its third year, the ADT 6×6 Memorial Soccer Tournament, in support of the Alberta Cancer Foundation, is set to grace the soccer fields behind Millhurst Community League this weekend.

The tournament doubles as a memorial for Edmontonian Anthony Troncoso, who lost a three-year-long battle with cancer in 2010.

DISARMING A DISEASE

In 2007, Troncoso, 21, was first diagnosed with osteosarcomas in his left thigh, after an accident at work saw a heavy pipe fall onto his leg.

At first, he thought nothing of it. But after battling through considerable discomfort for close to a month, Troncoso decided to get his leg checked out by doctors who discovered he had a cancerous tumour on his femur bone.

Troncoso received chemotherapy to treat the cancerous tumour and was given two choices: lose the leg, or undergo bone transplant surgery.

Opting for surgery, Troncoso went under the knife to remove the tumour and a large chunk of the bone. The surgery was a success, and by January 2008, he had finished all his chemo treatments.

“We really believed that this was something he could kick and beat,” says Troncoso’s mother, Darlene Rojas.

However, the type of chemotherapy Troncoso was receiving caused lacerations on his lungs, which eventually formed into three tumours. To add to the complications, another tumour was found in his pelvis bone — making his disease “incurable.”

Troncoso was given 12-18 months to live.

But he wasn’t deterred or ready to give up, and decided to undergo more chemotherapy treatments.

“With Anthony, he always believed he would make it — that’s how he was,” says Rojas. “He was determined that this wasn’t going to get him and that they (doctors) were not going to tell him how long of a life he was going to have — he was so determined and strong-willed.”

But things got worse in April 2010 after Troncoso suffered his first seizure.

Despite being told that her son’s cancer could not spread to the brain, it happened — a tumour was found in Troncoso’s brain, which was giving him speech and paralysis problems.

In July 2010, he once again found himself under the knife. Doctors were able to successfully remove the tumour from his brain, and the ever-resilient Troncoso was able to recover fully to the point of walking and talking normally again.

But all the while his lungs were deteriorating, and in September 2010, he again went in for surgery to open the airways in his lungs.

But this time he would not fully recover, and on Oct. 29, 2010, Troncoso, 25, passed away, leaving behind his three-year-old son.

“In the midst of it all, he was a true warrior, he fought hard and he always had a smile on his face,” says Rojas.

BUILDING A MEMORY

Shortly after his passing, a group of Anthony’s friends began planning a soccer tournament in memory of their friend, who was an avid soccer player himself.

The organizers quickly put the tournament together within five weeks time, says Rojas.

From the start, the goal of the tournament was to raise funds for the patient care unit of the Cross Cancer Foundation, a place Troncoso once referred to as a “five-star hotel.”

“He loved the Cross Cancer,” says Rojas. “He felt the staff and the people there were unbelievable and always made him feel at home and secure.

“We feel that a lot is given to research, but it was those special touches at the Cross, like the warm blankets, the heating pads for IV’s, the little trays of food the volunteers bring around — those were the touches that just made it more bearable for us.”

Following the end of the first tournament, a board was assembled to help organize and grow the tournament for the future, and so far the efforts have paid off.

Twelve teams competed in the first year and raised $6,000, while 16 teams competed in the second year, raising $20,000.

The tournament has expanded to include 20 teams this year.

Teams pay a $20 entrance fee, with $15 going towards a team jersey and the remaining $5 going towards operational costs. Teams are made up of 10 players, who play six-on-six, and must have a minimum of two girls on the team.

Games start on Friday at 6 p.m. and will continue Saturday morning at 9 a.m at the Millhurst Community League, 5811 – 19A Ave. People are encouraged to come down and watch the action, enjoy some food, and listen to live music.